ɢʀᴇᴇɴ ᴡɪᴛᴄʜ ᴏꜰ ɢᴀʀɢᴏʟʏɴ
O O C - I N F O R M A T I O N
- Intent: Expand on Gargolyn's flora.
- Image Credit:
- Header Image: "Wolfsbane" by Marta Dettlaff.
- Edits by me.
- Canon: No.
- Permissions: N/a.
- Links:
- Inspiration by Aconite/Monkshood.
G E N E R A L - I N F O R M A T I O N
- Name: Highland Aconite.
- Also known as: Shadeleaf, Poison Bloom.
- Origins: Gargolyn IV.
- Other Locations: None.
- Classification: Herbaceous Perennial.
- Average Growth Cycle: Pretending to be trapped in its own timeline, the Shadeleaf plant grows slowly and according to all records, whenever it pleases. Since seed germination and under natural conditions it will take at the very least ten years for the plant to achieve maturity, with the average being 20 to 30 years - throughout which the plant will go in and out of random hibernation periods in which it will not grow at all or even recede back into the ground, appearing to have died while in fact its root system is still very much alive. Upon reaching maturity, the seemingly eternal buds of the Shadeleaf will finally flower - its blooming season being winter.
- Viability: In nature, shadeleafs are few and far between. With very precise needs, the plants often die off on their own and very few make it to maturity, meaning that their chances of reproducing are extremely low. While it is growing shadeleaf is a thirsty drinker and will require frequent watering, but once it goes into hibernation this need ceases - and too much will easily drown its roots and kill the plant. It prefers partial shade and slightly moist but well drained soil. A mountain plant used to cool weather without much humidity, it will not do well in hot climates. Even when cultivated by the most careful and talented hands, Shadeleaf will often perish in a matter of weeks and it is considered one of the Witches of Gargolyn consider it one of the most difficult plants to deal with.
- Description: As beautiful as it is deadly, when in bloom shadeleaf is an eye-catching wonder. With dark, star-shaped leaves and intensely colored, irregular flowers - it is quite the unique sight when it comes to flowering plants. Shadeleaf is scentless.
P H Y S I C A L - I N F O R M A T I O N
- Average Height: 0.5m - 1m.
- Average Length: 0.3m - 0.6m.
- Color:
- Flowers: Deep purple, white, or wine red.
- Leaves: Dark green.
- Roots: Pitch black.
- Nutritional Value: None.
- Toxicity: There is not one bit of the plant that is not intensely poisonous. A small dose is often enough to cause perilous intoxication and painful death within a few hours in most living beings - and it is particularly dangerous to humanoids and most mammals. The most noxious parts of the plant are its roots and its leaves, but the flowers are not safe for consumption either. Contact with the plant's sap can cause skin irritation, and therefore the utmost care is required when handling shadeleaf. Throughout its history, the plant has been employed in the making of several poisons, often as the sole ingredient.
- Shadeleaf poisoning symptoms:
- Dizziness and confusion.
- Paralysis or numbness.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Frothing at the mouth.
- Difficulty breathing.
- Intense abdominal pain.
- Slow heart rate.
- Seizures.
- Shadeleaf poisoning symptoms:
- Other Effects:
- Medicinal Use: Although very rare because of the plant's high toxicity, in cases of extreme pain a tincture can be made out of the plant that when applied to the skin or a wound can numb pain perception.
- Nightdust: An application discovered and kept secret by Lesaj Ophrys, the roots of the plant, it's most poisonous and dangerous part, can be dried and mixed with similarly prepared Feurstrae grass. The result of this combination is Nightdust - a glimmering soot with the ability to hinder force sensitivity temporarily if inhaled.
- Distinctions: Shadeleaf sports dark green, palmate leaves with six to eight segments outlined by jagged teeth. It's stem grows tall and straight - holding the plant upright without needing to rely on external supports. The plant is crowned by racemes of intensely colored buds that take years before they flower for the first time, and when they do the flowers display irregular petals that can form a variety of shapes, giving them a unique, intricate beauty. The most common color found in the wild is an intense purple-blue bloom, followed by greenish-white flowers and, the most rare, wine red blooms. One of the most striking characteristics of the plant, although not easily seen, are its roots. They are of a pitch black color, growing an intense red towards their tips.
S T R E N G T H S
- Beautiful: A reward to those with the patience and the skill to grow them, there are few flowering plants quite as unique and beautiful as the shadeleaf.
- Deadly: It's defense against wild creatures or inexperienced hands that might consider the plantbeautiful enough to be plucked - Shadeleaf is intensely poisonous.
W E A K N E S S E S
- Endangered: Because of its extremely low growth rate, high mortality, and past overcollection of the plant for the purpose of poison crafting, very few shadeleafs are left and the species is considered endangered and with high chances of becoming extinct in the not so distant future.
- Laborious: The plant's survival is, discouragingly, just as difficult to achieve in the wild as it is under the careful care of a skilled botanist. Because of this, very few go to the trouble of trying to keep this plants alive.
H I S T O R I C A L - I N F O R M A T I O N
O R I G I N S. Native to the mountainous areas of Gargolyn IV, Shadeleaf is believed to have been created as a result of the very first sentient inhabitants of Gargolyn, the Cor, attempt to purify an ancient poisonous plant by interbreeding it with healing herbs. The result was quite the contrary, instead originating an intensely poisonous perennial that was then left alone to its own devices for centuries until the arrival of the Witches of Dathomir to garden planet after the Battle of Dathomir, who would then become known as the witches of Gargolyn.
Intrigued by the deadly properties of the plan, the witches proceeded to over-collect it for a period of time - believing there would be more uses to the beautiful flower besides its potential for poison creation. Their efforts proved fruitless, and soon the plants were once again left to await their own natural demise for they were considered too tedious to care for while offering little reward besides their immense beauty, for there are many other poisonous plants in Gargolyn that are easier to care for and often have more uses than Shadeleaf does. In the present times, the only witch known to dedicatedly grow and care for the plants is Lesaj Ophrys - an effort her sisters often question the worth of.
C U L T U R A L - I N F L U E N C E. The Witches of Gargolyn have always made a point of finding usage in all that is offered to them. It was quite disappointing when they realized that Shadeleaf had little more to offer besides beauty and death. "Shadeleaf" has become a common expletive used against someone considered to be either evil, noxious, or fastidious but without anything about them that would make it worth tolerating such undesirable qualities.
